Merlyn
by L. H. Smith
Summary: Based on the theme that is the Arthurian legends, the story is set in the time of King Arthur and his knights.
1. Chapter 1

Merlyn  
Chapter One

Pain. It burned at her right side, dizzying and distracting, and her fingers found the stickiness of warm blood as they slid over the new wound. How long were they going to keep this up before they eventually tired or she eventually lost too much blood? Another strike flashed in the darkness, metal scraping across her cheek in sharp pain. Chains, heavy and cold, held her wrists bound to the floor. She wanted to tug at them, to fight for escape but could not, finding it would only result in more pain. She felt bruised, bruised everywhere, and could feel the warmth of her lifeblood as it dripped from the cuts they had caked her body in. How had she gotten into this mess? Hissing through her teeth, more of that blinding pain struck her arm. Over and over. Sometimes with a sword, sometimes with a dagger, other times with metal bent into shapes she had never known. But always cutting, always hurting. She had been here little over a week now and yet they had not killed her. That wasn't their aim. she was to be broken, to be little more than a shell. She could be easily used then, doing their bidding as they wanted. But that wouldn't be. With every strike of blade or fist, her resolve only grew. She would be out of here, she would be free.

Lack of food and water had weakened her considerably, and the wounds on her body even more so. But she knew, when they had finally made to move to a new location, that she would free herself of them. A voice outside the door sounded and she looked in the direction. Though she could never see anything in here, never see through the darkness that surrounded the room that had been her cell for almost two weeks. There was movement outside. Everyone seemed restless lately, there was much shuffling about, much grunting from the guards, and arguments broke out often. Days had started to roll into nights here and she had begun to lose her internal clock, but presumed it was before dawn. Grunts came from outside and the sound of movement before the door opened soundlessly, letting in light for only mere seconds. Precious seconds. The person who had entered did not speak, the only sound came from the clang of metal. Fear began to roll of her as a cold sweat broke out, mingling with the smell of the room. Stale and thick with the smell of blood, she gagged every time she allowed herself to notice. She slumped, knowing that- if there had been any light- she would be unable to recognise herself as the frail girl laying soiled and scared in chains. But, as the fear began to roll of her, a sense of calm flooded her mind, pulling the fear back into its recesses. Men and women both had come and gone, hurting her every time, but none had uttered a word. She knew this was a man, knew by the gruffness of his breathing as he pit blade against blade, swiping them against each other. She could not see, but she could hear. Finally, he stopped, the sound of something moving up ahead being her first indication it was about to begin again. Light from outside, from the fires and moon, filtered down onto her and she blinked up at it. Smelling the air, the sweet fragrance of recent rain, she turned back to look at the shadows, noting how they were lighter- showing the movement of the man and the table where the instruments for her pain could be found. Fools, they were all fools to keep her here so long. To allow her to adapt to her surroundings, to formulate plans. Such fools. And there, as she lay trembling and hollow in her own filth, she allowed a faint smile to tilt the corners of her lips.

Her escape had hurt, it had hurt her worse than the weeks she had spent here. Her wrists had made such a popping sound as she dislocated them, that she had let loose a scream of pain. The guards would not notice. How could they when someone had been sent to her specifically to create that sound? No, they would not notice, and neither would the man with her. She had timed it so that her scream would sound to be caused by the wicked cut he had just inflicted upon her arm. She had timed it so well, timed it all so well. Arms shaking, she clenched her teeth at the effort it took to release herself from the shackles and relocate her wrists again- giving out another scream. The man still had not noticed, concentrating more on her contorted face than the hands that had pressed themselves to the ground, preparing to rise. He turned to the table of weapons. Fool. How foolish it was to have the weapons left in the same room as the prisoner. Without another thought, and with shaking legs, she propelled herself at the table, snatching the nearest weapon and plunging it deep into the nape of his neck before he had time to react. She both hated and delighted in the sickening noise of gargling as he choked on his blood. Her entire body was shaking now and she fought desperately to calm it. Gods, it hurt. She hurt. A lot of blood had been lost but they had, thankfully, not visited her yesterday- aside to bring her little food and water- so she had had the time to rest. Even if just for a day, that was enough. She had allowed herself to heal her worst wounds yesterday, allowed her to use the very magic that she had been locked in here for. Clearing her mind, she looked up to the shaft of light that had been looking down on here not a minute before. She looked up, noting how the sky had lightened a little, giving way to dawn. She had not much time before the day lightened enough that it would be impossible for her to sneak out of here. Her arms stretched above her, thinning muscles contracting, as she mustered up the strength it took to lift herself onto the roof of the wagon that had become her prison. No-one below was looking up as they milled around, preparing for a day of travel. Everyone looked so ordinary that she was slightly taken aback. It had become hard not to imagine her captors as having monstrous faces, become hard not to dream of them as being demons with scarred faces. But, looking around, she noted how the camp consisted of mere bandits and sell swords.

The daggers hilt pressed hard into her hand as she clenched her fist so tightly she knew it would be stark white. Her body was pressed against the side of a wagon and she was struggling to keep her breathing quiet as people walked past. Horses were reigned to a tree not far from where she stood and she knew one was required for her escape. Slowly, she counted to three, allowing for deep, shallow breaths, before sprinting as quietly as possible for the horses. Not one person noticed her as she hid within them, untying the reigns of her own. Anger rose within her at the thought of them keeping her horse and treating them like they did their own. A voice broke out from among the band of people, high and alerting. And, even though she had not listened to it, she knew by the tone that she had been spotted. Footsteps were bounding toward her by the time she had successfully released all the horses and was sat atop her own. Her foot was bare as she dug it into the stallion, urging him into a gallop. His saddle was still fitted and for that she was glad, not having to suffer through the pain of riding bare-back. They ran with the other horses, splitting off in different directions, and she kept low. Hoping it would be too dark to know which one to chase. Arrows shot from the direction she had ran from but she ignored them. Ignored the pain that was coursing through her body at the abuse she had suffered, ignored the fatigue that spread through her mind, trying to lull her into unconsciousness, ignored everything except the dull chant of words she repeated in her head, over and over. _I am Merlyn Vere, I will be free. _


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two  
Arthur

The day was cold and frost hung in the air, but the promise of spring could be felt within the breeze. For all intents and purposes, today could have seemed like a perfectly ordinary day. He had spent the morning tip-toeing around his father at the council meeting, and his eyelids had begun drooping (because of the sleep he had been getting little of lately) by the time his afternoon training had started. The council meeting was tiresome and rather pointless from his opinion. It consisted solely of a ring of old lords who agreed with his fathers every statement. Hardly any heed was paid to himself at all. It irked him every time he entered the old hall to find them squabbling over who sat nearest the king. Swords began to sing around him, the call of metal on metal pounding through the training yards in the distance. Arthur had just entered the courtyard when the black stallion cantered through, stopping only when the guards at the entrance stood in front of it. He watched as it rose up on its back legs, trying to keep them at bay. Anyone could tell the horse had been riled and was stressing. Yet, it was not the horse that drew Arthurs attention, but the body slung over the back of it.


	3. Chapter 3 (Part I)

Chapter Three (Part I)  
Merlyn

The first thing Merlyn noticed when she awoke was how she was not cold anymore. The heat surrounding her, wrapping her up in a blanket. Even though she had been in captive only two weeks, she had not realised the loss of heat, had not realised until she felt that warmth again. Spreading through her bones, warming her nerves, she felt tension she had not known was there ease from her worn body. Shadows flickered across the back of her eyelids, shadows caused by the flames that were heating her, alerting her that she was inside. Her mind barely registered the danger she could be in, as it sank further into the bliss of the warmth and comfort it brought. Somewhere inside, she supposed she should be panicking, supposed she should move. But for the life of her, she could not. She did not even want to. A clinking sounded to her right and she found herself thinking of it as melodic. The noise of glass hitting glass, it swam like waves into her ears, enchanting her. There was cloudiness in her head, a blackness that would not allow her to recall why she was where she was- or where she was why she was. That part of her panicking told her she was sedated but she quelled it instantly as more clinking sounded. She felt great. Even as her body itched, bound in what could only be bandages, she felt like smiling. Even when the sensation of pain started to cut through that cloud of blackness, she felt like smiling. Everything felt wonderful. A small moan escaped her mouth, she didn't even realise that the sound had formed until she heard it, and the clinking to her right paused. Why had it paused? She liked that sound. Dull thuds got louder and she found herself trying to count them, only to fall back into the cloudy recesses of her mind and forget what she was doing. Something warm touched her forehead and she thrashed to shake it away. Too hot. She was too hot now. A strange noise sounded, causing yellow-purple blotches to form behind her eyes, and the warmth pressed on her shoulder. Pain lanced through her and she moaned again, voice rough and sore. For the first time, the hazy blackness had begun to recede. She squinted her eyes shut, trying desperately to follow it, but the cloudiness just retreated further and further away. The warmth continued to press on points of her body that hurt, each time getting a louder reaction out of her, each time causing the fog to clear from her mind more. For the first time, she realised that the warmth was actually a hand, and that hand disappeared for a few moments before coming back, in the form of a point that penetrated her skin. The still panicking part of her mind shouted that it was a needle, but she hardly listened as the blackness creeped back, taking her into its folds.


	4. Chapter 3 (Part II)

Chapter Three (Part II)  
Merlyn

She was suffocating. Her vision blurred, focusing only on one point. Ice and churning storms. Ice and churning storms. Ice and churning storms. She shivered involuntarily but she wasn't aware of her body anymore. Wasn't aware of anything but ice and churning storms. A deep and endlessly cold darkness penetrating the mixing hues of colour, peering straight at her, into her. Ice and churning storms. She swayed where she stood. Ice and churning storms. Swayed, unable to stop herself. The more she looked into that abyss of black, the more she felt as though she was losing herself to it. The more she felt the fear creep into her veins, up her spine. A part of her was screaming to keep her face neutral, to not let it shine through her own green eyes, a part of her she was forgetting the more and more she stared at the king. His eyes watching her in the way a cat might watch a mouse, watching her with distrust, suspicion, curiosity… amusement. Another chill ran through her and a nauseous feeling rose in the pit of her stomach. She swayed again, her hands shaking.  
"Is this she?" A deep, rumbling voice cut deep into the silence of the hall. Loud and undeniable in its power. There was a cruelness to that voice, a harshness that was layered so thick with boredom. It was the voice of the ruler of the Kingdom of The Dragon. The voice of a king who had haunted her nightmares for as long as she could remember, the voice that had been her 'monster in the wardrobe', her 'bump in the night'. She blinked. She blinked and suddenly her bones warmed, her body relaxed slightly, the feeling of coldness that had come from being locked in his gaze dissipated.  
"It is, Your Majesty," Kais stated from the right of her, his head inclined. Kais, who had not left her side since waking, and whose familiar hand held her upright now- stopping her from swaying- as it had held her arm in her drugged haze. He had treated her through the night so that she may be fetched here today. Upon waking, she had had no chance to sift through the many questions in her mind, having been taken almost immediately to the hall she found herself now. It was a marvellous hall, the light of the mid-day sun shining in odd shapes onto the stone floor of it from the grand windows lining one side. Pillars standing in tall rows along each side, seemingly holding up the high ceiling. She had never been to a castle before. She paused in her observation as the kings heavy gaze once again fell to rest upon her. This time, she straightened her back- as much as she could without too much pain, at least- and looked at his face, avoiding his eyes. He looked so ordinary, with the soft features of an aging man and the stubble of a weathered one. His face was rugged, beaten from the many years and battles he had reigned and fought for this country. Perfectly ordinary until she was to glance into the gaze of his eyes, which she had no intention of doing. There, she would find only maliciousness and cunning. There were wheels turning behind those eyes, ideas that teetered on the edge of madness and danced with cruelty. The Dragon's king was known throughout all of the kingdoms for his strong hatred of magic, for his almost weekly public executions of those he thought were sorcerers, for the many massacres of his younger years.  
"I see." There was thought in his voice as a hand raised to rest under his chin. "Arthur told me of your injuries. To my knowledge, I had heard they were terrible. How is it you are walking in here today?" A deep suspicion and hunger laced his words and her mouth went suddenly dry. Was he testing her? Did he suspect her of sorcery? However, despite the question being directed at her, Kais answered.  
"If I may, Your Highness?" The king waved his hand at the physician. "Her injuries were not as terrible as they were believed to be at first." Weren't they? They sure felt like it to her.  
"Oh?" The king shifted forward in his seat, examining her, and she tried not to squirm under his eyes. He was examining the bandages that were visible where her tunic stopped. Bandages that she knew covered the most of her body.  
"They were…" Kais struggled for the words. "They were created with skill, You Highness." He sat back, his observation seemingly finished, but still kept his gaze on her.  
"And who is it that would do such a thing?" The question was directed at her again.  
"If I-" Kais started.  
"No, you may not. Let the child speak for herself." His voice was louder now. He would not be questioned. This time she did gulp. "Go on then, girl." Impatience.  
"Bandits, Your Highness." She fought the urge to cough the raspy quality in her voice from her dry throat. "Not far from the walls of this town." He frowned at her, a deep frown of deep thought.  
"I had not heard of there being bandits this close in my kingdom." His frown directed itself to his right, where she knew the crown prince was sat. She couldn't look at him, nor the woman to his left, she could only watch the king. He drilled her for what seemed like hours, but must have only been minutes. Standing on shaking, legs she listened to his rumbling questions, answering him in her own too meek voice. She had no struggle lying, no problem telling him only the bear minimum, avoiding talk of magic entirely. She did, however, struggle in remembering. There were blank spaces in her mind, blank and blurred memories that made her head hurt as she tried to remember. Kais had told her it was memory loss caused by the stress of what she had endured. But she didn't care what it was, she just wanted her mind back. Remembering only what had happened of her capture, of how she was tortured because she had magic, magic she had been capable of healing herself with. She remembered everything about her magic and everything about the world she was hiding it from, but she just couldn't, for the life of her, remember anything about her past. It frustrated her to no ends. Kais said that it would come back with time but she needed it back now. Forgetting something would have been fine, but being aware you are forgetting something- being aware you are forgetting your past… She shivered. It was horrible.  
"Then you will stay here." A voice cut through her conversation with the king. And she watched as the Kings gaze shifted to the man on his right. Still she could not look at him, still she could not take her eyes away from the king. To her, he was the biggest threat in the room and her instincts told her to always keep watch on the biggest threat.  
"Will she?" A deep amusement shook in the kings voice, amusement and something else, something she couldn't place- suspicion, maybe concern. There was a silence then, a stretch of cold silence that told her the king was thinking.  
"Your Highness?" Kais addressed.  
"Yes, what is it Kais?" The King was not looking at either of us now, he was watching the man to his right, though his head still faced towards us.  
"If I may, I have already asked that I be allowed to look into finding an assistant. Perhaps I could find one in Merlyn." There was a question in his words, yet his words were not a question. Had she heard them right? She could not possibly stay in this castle, in this kingdom. No, she knew that she was heading north. The idea had formulated when she began sifting through the knowledge she had already. North was a haven of magic, a place of safety among her people. She had begun planning to travel north from the moment she had set off to this hall. She was not going to stay here, a place where she would only ever be in danger.  
"Now that it has been mentioned, I do recall you asking for an assistant. If she will do, she may stay here." The king was bored again, with the matter resolved he had no interest. They were dismissed. And, with anger rising, Merlyn fought the urge to run from the hall, run from the castle, run from the kingdom, as she walked calmly back into what could only be another cage.


End file.
